Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations
by yoni-mieru
Summary: Syaoran and his group arrive at a new world but something's odd: shadows follow their every move more closely than before. Who's behind this? Maybe the man with very thick eyebrows knows. T not only because of Kurogane's mouth... R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

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_Note: This fanfiction of _Tsubasa _crosses over with a fanfiction of _Axis Powers Hetalia_ having a similar title_. _Although it isn't necessary to read the other fanfiction to understand the events in this _Tsubasa_ fanfiction, you'll get to see the same events from different perspectives if you read both!_

_Disclaimer: Tsubasa belongs to CLAMP while Hetalia belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz. _

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Syaoran felt the familiar sensation of being sucked by an unknown force as he and his companions were travelling to yet another dimension. He vaguely saw an image of a house with a porch growing bigger and bigger, until he suddenly felt a sense of gravity giving way. He closed his eyes to bear the impact… and found himself and the others piled on top of each other on the ground. Safe but piled. Also, it was raining.

Immediately, he looked around in search of Sakura and found her sleeping soundly on top of the pile. He sighed of relief. Kurogane, however, being at the bottom of the pile, was not so happy. The ninja glared at Mokona as it too arrived.

"We've arrived at a new world!" it exclaimed as cheerfully as always.

Kurogane gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "You stupid puffball, couldn't you have made a better landing!?" Mokona merely laughed.

On top of the angry ninja, Fai gave an easy smile. "Well, at least we've landed safely."

However, that wasn't what worried Syaoran at the moment. They landed right onto someone's porch, which was clearly still occupied. There was a man with spiky blonde hair and green eyes similar to Sakura's eyes _staring_ at them. And he had very thick eyebrows. _And he had Mokona on top of his head_. "Um…"

The man narrowed his eyes at them and muttered, catching their attention, "Who are… all of you?"

~oOoOoOo~

The man with thick eyebrows held Mokona on his lap as he looked at Syaoran's group carefully. "So you're saying," he muttered with a frown, "that you're all from… another world and that you're travelling across _other_ worlds in search of _feathers_?"

Syaoran nodded. Since they appeared right before the man, Arthur-san's eyes, he thought it appropriate to give him an honest reason. He already talked it over with Fai-san and he said it was fine. Besides, the man looked very comfortable with Mokona and didn't even react as badly as he thought he would. Arthur-san seemed like a trustworthy man.

Arthur looked at the sleeping Sakura on his couch before continuing, "And these feathers are needed to save this girl, Sakura?"

"That's right," he confirmed. "Have you seen this feather by any chance?"

"Here," Fai said and showed the man a sheet of paper with a sketch of the feather on it. Syaoran didn't notice Fai-san drawing that. "Maybe this'll help."

Arthur accepted the paper and looked at it critically. He sighed and placed the paper on the coffee table before him. "I'm afraid I haven't," he replied sullenly and looked out to the window. It was still raining heavily outside. "And with this kind of weather, it'll be difficult to find it anywhere…"

Mokona lifted a small paw cheerfully. "Mokona can sense the feather!"

The man looked at the white creature on his lap, surprised. "You can?"

It nodded and said, "It's faint, but it's definitely here!"

Syaoran explained at Arthur's expression, "Mokona's been a great help in finding Sakura's feathers in every world we go to." Mokona bounced off Arthur's lap and onto Syaoran's awaiting hands. "Is it alright with you if Sakura-hime stays here for a while?"

"All of you can stay here for as long as you need, but," Arthur blinked, "where are you going?" He looked around as Fai and Kurogane went for the door along with Syaoran.

He looked at Arthur with determined eyes. "We're going to look for Sakura-hime's feather now. If we take too long, we won't be back until nightfall." With that, the group left the room.

Once along the hallway, Kurogane stated, "I don't like the look on that guy's eyes."

"Mokona doesn't think Arthur-san's a bad person," Mokona said in Syaoran's arms. "But Mokona also senses a strong power from Arthur-san."

Syaoran's eyes widened at that but Fai just smiled at the white creature. "It's not that strong," the tall one remarked, "and I don't think he'd be the type to harm Sakura-chan while we're gone."

Kurogane merely grunted. "I still don't trust him."

Then, as they easily found the front door and turned the knob to open it, a shout came from down the hallway. "Hey, at least bring an umbrella with you!"

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**A/N: **And there goes my first! attempt of making a fanfic. Please comment (maybe even critique), I'd be so happy :)

Oh yeah, this fanfic has a twin! over in the Hetalia side, though both would be on the cross-over category. Just to be clear (and coz I was worried about the rules), when I mean 'twin', I mean 'fanfics with _similar _elements but _not the _same'. So both storylines are roughly drawn on the same line, but different perspectives make them unique to each other. Okay? :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

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The rain outside poured down harder than they expected and most of the people on the street already ran inside the nearest building for some shelter. The others still under the downpour were very grateful to be dry under their own umbrellas. Among them, Fai smiled widely at Arthur as he said, "Thanks for lending us these coats too!"

Arthur nodded. "You're welcome. I hope they fit you well enough, I wasn't sure what sizes to give you."

Then, Mokona popped out from Kurogane's collar and exclaimed, "Yeah! It's very warm and snug!"

Kurogane glared at the creature nestling in his black coat, shouting, "He wasn't asking you, you white pork bun!" It merely slid back under his coat and began crawling around his back, giving the ninja weird nerves.

Arthur turned to Syaoran and asked, "I suppose you know how to use money, yeah?" The boy nodded. The man with thick eyebrows smiled at him, giving him a coin purse. "Then use this if ever you go hungry along the way. I'll be buying Sakura a quick change of clothes while you're gone."

Fai looked at the two and asked with a smile, "You're entrusting it to Syaoran-kun?"

"He looks like the most dependable," he replied bluntly. Syaoran gave sideward glances at his other companions and saw that Kurogane was too busy with the crawling Mokona under his coat while Fai just laughed.

After everyone calmed down and Mokona settled on Syaoran's dark blue jacket instead, the group started to go separate ways. Syaoran looked behind his shoulder and called out to Arthur, "We're off!"

The man nuzzled onto his own light brown coat even as he waved them farewell. "Take care and good luck!"

Syaoran waved back until Arthur was out of sight and turned to look up front again.

The rain continued to fall as the group walked around the sodden city. Arthur had given them a map of the city earlier on in case they got lost. As Syaoran opened the pamphlet, he found it easy to read. There were words in bold lettering at the top-left side of the paper and he read them as **London, England**. Pictures of many other monuments were also in the sheet with names underneath them. The one called the Big Ben was particularly impressive.

As they moved on, Syaoran looked around their new surroundings. Some buildings looked like they were newly built while others had some vines growing on the walls – all of these were almost squeezed together to fit in that one street and the other. Many of the people walking on the streets came in and out of these buildings, looking like in a rush somewhere.

In almost every shop that they passed by, there were windows on their front that showed the items sold in that particular store. Different kinds of stores were everywhere: from a jewelry store to a vendor's stall.

It wasn't anything like the Hanshin Republic when they traveled into that country, though there were similarities. Syaoran could make out towering structures just beyond the roofs that looked a bit like those in the Republic. The people didn't look as energetic as the citizens of Hanshin, but they were almost as friendly. They were more similar to those from the Jade Country.

The group strolled deeper into the busy city and avoided any huge water puddles along the way in silence.

Finally, Fai muttered, "Are they still following us?"

"They're a few buildings away," Kurogane humphed. Syaoran sensed them too. Two, no, three people had been following them ever since they separated from Arthur and they trailed behind them all this time. They were very persistent.

Mokona poked out of Syaoran's jacket to look but the umbrella tilted back to cover it from view. "Don't look," Syaoran said, tucking the white creature back inside the jacket. "They might see you."

Fai looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye and asked, "So, what do you want to do now?"

Syaoran thought about for a moment. "We can't just fight them; we don't have any weapons with us and innocent people could get hurt. And also," he continued at the ninja's withering look, "they may just be those people here in this country doing what they usually do."

"You mean stalkers?" Fai quirked a smile, "Or maybe thieves?" Syaoran didn't answer.

The boy stopped in his tracks. Holding onto the pamphlet, he pointed at an alley on his left and said, "We'll split up. I'll go down this way and meet you there on the other side of this street."

Kurogane finally chanced a glare at their hiding pursuers as Fai nodded, "Be careful."

He nodded back and ran straight into the alley while the other two went their own way across the soaked street.

As he struggled to keep his umbrella upright to cover him from the rain, Syaoran slicked through his way across rows of garbage cans, empty boxes and the occasional cat. He didn't dare look back to see if anyone was after him or he might bump over a garbage bag or—

He was suddenly out of that alley and right into a street filled with people in more coats, scarves and umbrellas. Syaoran looked on both sides before hearing noises coming from behind. He thought of inserting himself into the crowd, he could lose them and—

"Mokona can sense the feather!" Mokona said, poking out a bit from his collar. "It's getting closer!"

His train of thought suddenly ended at its words. "Where can you sense it?"

Mokona pointed its tiny paw in the direction of a passing boy among the crowd wearing a sailor suit. And the feather hanging on to his sailor hat. "There!"

No longer thinking about his pursuers or his companions waiting for him, Syaoran saw his chance and inserted himself into the crowd.

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**A/N: **Thanks so much to all those who reviewed the twin stories - they make me happier than they know :)

Please continue to comment/critique! It's still my first time writing a fanfic of anything so your thoughts are my inspiration. Hope you like it so far ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

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She stared into a white ceiling when Sakura woke up. She blinked then rubbed her eyes as she sat up and found herself lying on a comfortable couch with a warm blanket around her. She looked around and took in her new surroundings: she was inside a large room with more chairs to complete a set. Beautiful paintings hung on almost every wall, a worn down picture of what seemed like a map of that world. There was also a fireplace on the other side of the wall.

Sakura noticed that it wasn't lit and she suddenly shivered at the lack of warmth. She cuddled into the blanket around her and almost hummed. "So warm…"

Then, she realized that she wasn't alone in the room. The only door of the room was open and a man with spiky blonde hair and wide green eyes looked at her with his mouth half-open. He was a carrying a tray with a tea set on it, a fresh pot already steaming. He also had very thick eyebrows.

"Hello," she tried with a smile.

The man nodded wordlessly and slowly walked up to her. He set the tray down on the coffee table she didn't notice before, right beside…

"Your name is Sakura, right?" the man suddenly asked, catching her attention. When she nodded, he smiled and sat on the couch's armrest. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, but you can call me Arthur." His eyes glanced at the tea set on the table before taking an empty cup. "Would you like some tea?"

Sakura nodded cheerfully, looking intently as Arthur offered her a filled teacup. Maybe the warm tea could relieve her from the cold. However, when she took a sip, she quickly retreated the cup from her lips as she stuck out her burning tongue. "Hot!"

Arthur chuckled. "Careful, I just got the water right out of the kettle. Would you like some milk to go with your tea?"

"Yes, please."

With a smile, he poured a good amount of it on her teacup and the tea turned to a medium brown. She took a more careful sip and it tasted wonderful. "Delicious!" she smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. There's plenty more here on the teapot if you want any more." Sakura nodded, sipping more of the tea. Slowly, she set the cup down on its saucer, making Arthur pause in his work to prepare his own tea. "Um, where am I?"

He merely smiled. "Right now, you're in my house here in London."

"London?" she echoed, looking out into the window. It was raining so heavily outside, she couldn't see a good view of what the new world looked like.

Arthur followed her gaze and his smile lopsided. "It doesn't always rain, though we usually go through the fog so days are usually wet. But we get by." Then, his smile widened, though thick brows furrowed. His eyes trailed to the sheet of paper with a sketch of Sakura's feather on it as he continued, "Syaoran and the others are out there right now."

Sakura zipped her head back to face the surprised Arthur. "Syaoran-kun is…!"

He nodded. "He's looking around town with Fai and Kurogane as well. That cute rabbit is with him too. Mokona, I think."

She gripped onto her saucer tightly. "And are they… alright? Nobody's wounded or…?"

"Everybody's just fine," he replied with a smile.

At his words, Sakura became chipper. "That's wonderful! I'm so glad everyone's okay!"

Then, she heard Arthur mutter something but didn't catch it. She cocked her to a side and asked, "Did you say something?"

"Ah, no! I-It's nothing! Um…" His eyes went to the shopping bags leaning on the couch and quickly showed them to her. "I bought you a change of clothes! Would you like to try them on?"

She blinked but then gave him a smile. "Sure!" she replied and took the bags.

Nodding, Arthur stood and led her out of the room and into the hallway. "There's a mirror in my room so you can change there," he said as they reached the stairs going to the second floor. He was about to say something else when they heard a knock from the front door.

Sakura looked at her host as he looked from the door to her until she smiled in understanding. "It's okay. I'll go change while you can check the door."

"Oh, um, okay," Arthur muttered. "Ah, my room is the second door to the left upstairs. I won't be long," he added as he went for the door. Sakura just nodded at him before making her way to the indicated room.

Arthur's room was big with just the necessary furnishings laid out: a wooden closet, a full-body mirror, a bed big enough for three people and a bedside table. There was even a grandfather clock next to the closet. She stepped closer to the small table and picked up a small picture frame on it.

It showed Arthur-san in clothes similar to those in the Jade Country but with puffier sleeves by the upper arms. Holding his hand beside him was a small boy in plainer garments with smiling blue eyes instead of green. In fact, they didn't look much the same except for the blonde hair. Sakura smiled. Despite that, they both looked very happy together, just like a family.

She wondered where the boy was now. She didn't see anyone else in the house.

Sakura returned the frame and went back to the clothes Arthur-san thoughtfully bought for her. After going through most of the clothes in the shopping bags (as a few of them didn't fit her right), she finally settled on a dress with pink flowers printed on them and a white wool jacket to protect her from the cold. She kept her own slippers on since all the shoes he bought for her were either too small or too big.

She went downstairs quietly so as not to disturb Arthur-san in case another guest had arrived. The whole house must have been very quiet since she could hear Arthur-san's voice echoing across the hallway. She blinked at some of the statements she didn't understand. The word _git_ particularly repeated itself.

She turned a corner and found Arthur still by the door with another person in the midst of a rather heated conversation. The man by the door had blonde hair and blue eyes just like Fai-san and looked very much soaked even though he had an umbrella in his hand. A very yellow umbrella. She could spot the prints of two beady eyes and an orange triangular cloth. She brightened at the thought that it might look like a cute chick if it was opened.

As Sakura continued to stare at the peculiar umbrella, she received a very sweet-sounding greeting.

"Ah, mon cher, you look beautiful today!"

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**A/N: **Writing on Sakura's POV was very enjoyable, I should try it more often :) But the editing was a necessary evil. Evil, but necessary.

Cookies for those who review on these twin stories :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

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"Ah, it seems like Syaoran-kun's taking a while," Fai said, smiling at the ninja grouching beside him.

Kurogane sighed exasperatingly. "Where'd that kid go? We're supposed to meet him here, right?" He said this rhetorical-sounding question at the smiling magician next to him.

Fai answered him anyway. "Syaoran-kun said that we'd meet him at the other side of the street we were just in. He also has the map Arthur-san gave us so he shouldn't have gotten lost. And since we can still communicate, he and Mokona aren't too far away."

Kurogane looked back at the empty road they walked across and muttered, "Could those people have caught up with him?"

He was silent for a moment before giving him a smaller smile. "That's a possibility." Then, his smile became devious. "Is Kuro-pyû worried about our Syaoran-kun? You're a nice guy after all!"

"What d'you mean by that?" Kurogane quickly glared at him.

Fai saw a sudden motion from the corner of his eye and made a calculating smile. "Either way, we'll have our hands busy while waiting for him." The ninja merely huffed as they both turned to finally face their pursuers approaching them. It seemed like they waited long enough to stay in the shadows.

The first one of the two that moved towards them was very pale with silvery white hair. Fai heard they were called albinos. This particular albino had glinting red eyes that beamed with confidence. He also had a scheming grin on his face. Interesting.

The albino's companion was less certain about approaching them, or at the very least confused. He seemed more focused on keeping his umbrella upright against the coming wind. A very bright umbrella. That looked like a tomato, complete with the makeshift leaves at the tip.

"You two! The one with the coats!" the albino called out to them, confidence booming from his voice. It didn't seem to matter to him that they were the only ones out on the street that moment. When the Fai looked at him as if he just noticed him, the stranger flashed them a toothy grin. "Yeah, I'm talking to you!"

Fai gave him an innocent-looking smile. "Yes, my good sir! Is there something we can do for you?"

The albino's companion huffed when he finally caught up to him. "Prussia… why did you come out like that all of a sudden?" he asked the other even as he tried to regain his breath.

The man—Prussia laughed. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked back. "Someone as awesome as me shouldn't be hiding behind buildings like a coward! I should face the enemy head on without fear!" He laughed aloud once again.

Kurogane looked at the albino with a critical eye. "Enemy?"

"That's right!" he replied readily, his eyes still laughing. Fai thought he answered it rather automatically and without thinking.

Beside him, his companion looked worried. "Prus—I-I mean, Gilbert…"

Hm, well that was an interesting turn. That'll be left for later, though. Fai looked at the albino and suggested, "Were you going to ask us something?"

It was amusing to watch the albino's expression turn from sheer confidence, to confusion, then the sudden moment of realization happen within a matter of seconds. "How do you know Engl—Arthur?"

Ah, now he understood. Fai regarded the still staring Kurogane and himself as he replied, "We're travelers, you see, and Arthur-san offered to be our hosts while we're staying here in this country."

"You're travelers?" The other companion suddenly perked up and came closer, his eyes bright. Now that Fai looked at him more closely, he somehow reminded him of Syaoran-kun. Maybe because of the mess of brown hair. Maybe because of the glint in his eye that was hardened with determination. The stranger continued, getting back his attention, "Just the two of you?"

"There are two, no, three more people in our group," he replied. Kurogane muttered something under his breath, but Fai knew what he said, and just let himself continue. "One of them is resting in Arthur-san's house, while the other two are somewhere here in this city."

"The one that got away!" the albino exclaimed.

Fai nodded and smiled, if only to cover up the ninja now looking darkly at the two. "That's right!" He leaned close to the one that reminded him of Syaoran and said, "So then, how do you know of our little host?"

"We were going to a pub and haul Arthur over for a drink," the companion smiled at him innocently.

"A pub, you say?" Fai's eyes sparkled at the sound of something relating to liquor.

The companion nodded. "Want to join us?"

"The more the merrier!" the albino added, stopping in his staring contest with the ninja.

Out of delight, Fai held onto the companion's hands and remarked, "Would we!"

The other just laughed and was about to say something when a shriek pierced their ears.

"Damn stupid Spagna!!"

After the echo stopped ringing in their ears, all eyes turned to a certain fuming teenager holding onto an umbrella almost identical to the one the albino's companion was using. Only, it was a much brighter red, brighter than one ever thought possible. He also had a long curl crossing the side of his hair towards the left, dangling as if it could do so on its own.

"Idiot fucking Spagna!!"

With that screech, the albino couldn't avoid the plank of wood thrown his way; it looked more like it was aimed for him. In the next second, Fai barely dodged a trash lid going straight to his head. Instead, it went for Kurogane, who nimbly caught the flying saucer with his bare hands.

Fai tried to make a whistle. "Kuro-sama's so cool!"

"Shut up" was all he got before the ninja used the lid to shield himself from a worn-out shoe and an already broken toy car. It looked like the violent teenager decided to throw disposables at them after using that one wooden plank.

Fai looked at the plank's victim who surprisingly leapt right back on his feet and began to laugh again. "You can't defeat the awesome Prussia so easily!"

The teenager paused in his sudden rain of fury to glare at the laughing albino. "Why you…"

"Loviiiiiiii~!"

And the companion was suddenly by the teenager's side and hugged the life out of him. None of them even saw him move. "Oh, Lovi!" he purred as if he didn't notice the teenager's near choking state. "You should've said that you were here this whole time."

"Shut up!" the teenager managed to shout. His face was turning redder than his umbrella, an incredible feat in itself, either from the lack of air or from the growing rage clear in his eyes. "Let me go, dammit! Let me go or I'll eat all your fucking tomatoes!"

The one called Spagna froze for a moment, before hugging the angry teenager tighter. If that was possible. "No, Lovi! You can't do that!"

As the scene continued to go on, Fai looked at the albino who resumed his staring contest with Kurogane. "I forgot to ask, who are you exactly?"

He broke eye contact with the ninja again to smirk at him. "I'm the awesome Gilbert!" he said, pointing his thumb at himself. He pointed to the other two still at it as he continued, "that's Antonio and Lovino. Antonio's cool (but not as cool as me) while Lovino's a jealous former charge of Antonio's."

"It's Romano to you bastards!" the hot-tempered teenager—Romano shouted despite being hugged to death.

Fai just smiled at all of them. "You can call me Fai. And this shady-looking fellow here is Kuro-pii!"

"It's Kurogane! And who are you calling 'shady'?" The ninja turned those glaring eyes at him again, but Fai laughed it off.

Gilbert laughed along with him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Now that that's settled, let's go bar-hopping!"

Antonio must have reacted to this because Romano somehow removed himself from his deadly embrace and hit him on the stomach with his knee. When the poor man slumped to the puddle-filled floor, the teenager kicked him on the side. Repeatedly.

As much as Fai liked the sound of liquor, he shook his head. "We still have to find Syaoran-kun and Mokona."

"What?" the albino blurted. "Well then, if that's the case, the awesome Gilbert will help!"

"You will?" Fai smiled wider.

"You will?" Kurogane looked at the albino skeptically.

"Lovi and I will help too!" Antonio was suddenly revived, looking soaked but refreshed.

"What the fuck!" Romano looked about ready to explode as the other merely latched an arm around him and went back to the other three.

"Then, as the hero, I'll help you too!"

Aha, Fai thought he saw someone else approaching.

The new teenager before them had bright blue eyes framed around a pair of glasses and blonde hair, a short strand sticking out on the side. He wore an interesting brown jacket over a printed t-shirt and blue jeans. He also held an umbrella in one hand and a strange rounded sandwich in the other.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" Romano spat, pausing in his struggle to remove himself from Antonio's arm.

The strange teenager laughed aloud as he approached them. "I heard your call for help, so here I am!"

"Nobody called for help," Kurogane muttered, eyeing the weird new kid. Was he serious?

But it was Fai who asked, "And who would you be?"

The teenager laughed again and stuck out his now free hand, pointing his thumb at himself as he announced, "Alfred F. Jones, hero at your service!"

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**A/N: **Oh dear, more and more characters appear out of the rain. I hope I can keep up with it all. Wish me luck!

As always, reviewers on the twin stories deserve a huggle :"


	5. Chapter 5

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

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Syaoran pressed himself across the crowded street as he struggled to catch up to the fast boy, the feather fastened securely on his hat. He breathed out apologies to every other person he accidently bumped into, straining his eyes to keep the child in view. Then, the boy zipped to a corner. Syaoran hurried to the same corner.

When he was finally out of the busy street and into a more open corner, he looked around for any sign of the boy with the feather. He could see the distant buildings up ahead, but the boy was gone. "Where did he go?"

"Over there, Syaoran!" Mokona whispered, letting its paw pop out from the jacket and point behind him. Syaoran turned and found the boy in the sailor outfit walking the other way. He hurried over as he kept a close eye on the feather, but the boy's umbrella kept it from proper view.

Suddenly, the boy turned, effectively stopping Syaoran in his tracks. The child already gave him a suspicious look, his thick brows furrowed. "Who are you?"

"Um, well," Syaoran struggled as he tried to come with an excuse. Finally, he settled on one. "You see, I'm a collector of rare and exotic feathers and I happen to see the one there on your hat."

"Really?" The boy's frown turned a rather greedy smile for a second. Then he blinked and slipped his expression back into the suspicious look. "Sorry, it's not for sale."

Syaoran felt a bit desperate. "But someone very important to me needs that feather!"

The boy only stuck out his tongue at him. "No way! I need it to brag in jerk England's face!"

What? Syaoran froze in confusion. Wasn't this country's name called England? Unless there's a person named England… He was lost in his thoughts in attempts of figuring out what the boy meant until Mokona patted on his cheek to snap him out of it. "Syaoran! He's getting away!"

"What?" The boy was no longer in front of him as he made a run for it; he was already some meters away. He shook his head and ran as fast as he could to cut the distance between him and the feather.

As the two ran through the street, Syaoran saw him look back at him once before slipping inside the next building. He paused in front of it to regain his breath for a moment and look at the sign posted outside. The rather intricate letters on the sign said, **Trojka Russian Restaurant**, but he didn't think too much about it. He left his umbrella by the doorstep as he made his way inside the restaurant.

Syaoran nimbly avoided passing customers and waiters inside as the boy went around and about the first floor before going up the stairs. He was clearly not making it easy for him. It didn't take him long before he arrived in the next floor and found a mess before him. All around, many waiters were either on the ground feeling their heads or apologizing to their customers with some sort of dish on their head. Was this the boy's doing?

He went across the floor more carefully to avoid the restaurant more trouble. Then, a big man was in the way. A big man with a pale scarf around him. "Um, excuse me…"

The man turned and Syaoran noticed only then that he had some hot stew poured on his head, chunks of meat hanging on the side. The waiter next to him was apologizing profusely even as the customer only blinked at the worker. Then, he turned to blink at Syaoran. He didn't know whether he had a smile or a frown on his face as the man asked him, "Are you going after that boy in the sailor suit?"

Numbly, Syaoran nodded. The man smiled at him, though he could sense a predatory aura around him. "He went to the rooftop. The stairs are just by the restroom." With that, he stepped out of the way. Syaoran nodded his thanks and rushed towards where the man pointed to, trying not to let the man's next words bother him.

After all, _"He has no way of escape now"_ wasn't very encouraging.

Syaoran opened the door and the heavy rain immediately went to his face. He shielded himself from the downpour with an arm over his eyes as he made his way across the rooftop. Even if he could barely see the next thing in front of him, Mokona helped him navigate through the low vision. "The feather's just a few steps away!" it cried out from under his jacket.

Eventually, he could make out the small shivering frame of the boy dangerously close to the edge of the building. "Be careful!" he shouted through the heavy rain. "You could fall!"

But the boy was stubborn. "No way!" he cried back, gripping onto the feather tightly in his hands. "I'm not letting have the feather!"

Then, the two struggled on their feet as a cold wind blew them closer to the edge. The boy in particular was holding on to the slippery rail with one hand, the feather still on the other.

"Hold on!" Slowly, Syaoran made his way towards the boy with careful steps. The heavy rain made the ground extra slippery and it kept Syaoran from getting a good grip on the ground as the winds grew stronger with every gust.

In the midst of the dangerous situation, the boy was still shouting at him. "N-No! S-Stay back! You just want the feather for free, d-don't you?"

Even then, that didn't stop Syaoran from stepping closer. The boy was shivering; he could see that. He didn't even have a jacket on him. Finally, Syaoran reached the freezing boy and huddled him close. He sighed of relief, glad to have made it before anything could happen to the boy. Then, he felt the poor boy shivering and smiled. Wordlessly, he removed his own jacket and placed it over the boy's shoulders.

The boy only gave him a confused look. "W-What are you doing?"

Syaoran just smiled despite shivering at the cold wind. "Is it warm enough for you?"

For a moment, the boy just stared. Then, he bowed his head and nodded. His eyes suddenly went wide as Mokona popped out of the jacket and began to snuggle the boy's face. "Mokona will warm you up, too!"

"That's Mokona," Syaoran said with a smile when the boy just froze. "Don't worry – Mokona won't hurt you."

At that, Mokona snuggled more. "Syaoran's telling the truth. Mokona will warm you up nice and cozy!" At first, the boy just stared at the white creature hugging his face. He looked at the older one cautiously. "Your name's Syaoran?"

Syaoran nodded in acknowledgement and pointed the way back into the building. "Let's get back inside. You must have been cold without a jacket on."

"What about you?" the boy asked, looking up at him. "Aren't _you_ cold without your jacket?"

"I'll be alright," he smiled.

They slowly walked across the slippery rooftop in silence when the boy pulled on Syaoran's shirt. He looked at him, curious, and saw the feather offered up on his face. "You said someone important to you needed this, right?" the boy muttered.

Syaoran smiled. "Yes, I did. Thank you."

However, just as he reached out his hand to get the feather, a strong wind blew on the rooftop. Syaoran shielded the boy from the worst of the wind when the boy cried aloud, "Oh no! The feather!"

Syaoran saw the feather flutter with the wind as it was swept across the rooftop. Immediately, he ran after it, grabbing onto thin air again and again as the feather remained out of his reach. Then, he made a leap for it and finally caught the feather—

"Syaoran!!" he heard the boy shout after him before he found himself out of the rail's point of line, no longer atop the building but in midair and felt the sudden grip of gravity pulling him down to the ground.

He was falling fast, the tiled earth approaching even faster. He barely heard anything as he curled himself around the feather even with all the winds against him. Syaoran hoped that, even if he falls to ground, the feather would be safe and Sakura…

He closed his eyes shut as he was moments from reaching the ground and…

Syaoran felt steady arms catch him just on time, saving him from immediate death. Could it be Kurogane-san? His eyes remained shut as he slowly recovered from the slight trauma of the fall. Then, he heard a hearty laugh coming from the one who rescued him.

When Syaoran opened his eyes to look, he saw a grinning face of blonde hair and blue eyes look back at him. With the rain still pouring on his face, he thought it was Fai until his rescuer shouted aloud, "The hero saves the day once again!"

He blinked as the man laughed again and took a closer look at his rescuer. He was wearing glasses (he wondered how he missed that), and had a strange brown jacket on. What's more, as he looked around from where he was, he saw Fai and Kurogane walking up to them just now.

Fai smiled at him, looking relieved. "Nice of you to drop by, eh Syaoran-kun?"

Beside him, Kurogane sighed frustratingly. Only his eyes softened. "Where the hell have you been the whole time?"

For a moment, Syaoran just looked at his companions, then to his rescuer who was talking to other people up on the roof. A white-haired man and another one with brown hair kept the worried-looking boy (was he crying?) company, waving down at them. Finally, he looked at his own clenching hands. Slowly, he opened them and smiled.

"I've been around," he replied lamely, showing everyone the feather secure on his hands.

* * *

**A/N: **And there you go! Man, long chapter is long =3=

Two chapters left! Hope you've enjoyed so far!

---

_Special Note: I don't own the _Trojka Russian Restaurant_. I just looked it up (as I've never been to Europe) ._._


	6. Chapter 6

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

**A/N: **This is where the rating kicks in, watch out!**  
**

* * *

Sakura looked from Arthur to the new guest, Francis Bonnefoy, as they remained intent in their heated conversation. She only talked in the middle of the discussion whenever Francis-san regarded her from time to time. She looked at the other guest curiously.

Francis-san really did have blonde hair and blue eyes just like Fai-san, though he also grew a hairy chin. He was very good-looking too, and he always winked at her in between his conversation with Arthur-san. She tried to follow what they were talking about but she couldn't understand what they meant. And she heard Arthur-san call him _git_ for the umpteenth time. Maybe that was Arthur-san's nickname for Francis-san.

Then, she heard a knock on the door and looked at her host, who was still occupied in his conversation with Francis-san. She blinked at them for a second before saying, "Someone's at the door…" She continued when Arthur didn't respond, "Um, maybe I should go check if Syaoran-kun is…"

Arthur merely glanced at her and muttered, "Yes, thank you." With that, he returned to telling Francis that his tea was not caterpillar food for his eyebrows.

Sakura left the room quietly and went to get the door. Arthur-san and Francis-san seemed to talk just like Fai-san and Kurogane-san, though none of them went into death threats. She was just wondering how Fai-san and Kurogane-san were doing when she opened the door and…

"Sakura-hime!"

"Syaoran-kun!"

She held Syaoran's hands as she asked, "Are you alright? You're not wounded, are you?" She paused and noticed Syaoran's soaked, but smiling, face. "You're all wet! What happened?"

Syaoran reassured her, saying, "I'm alright. I just got wet from the rain, that's all."

Then, Fai peered up from behind him. "I see you're awake, Sakura-chan. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded and saw Kurogane beside him, Mokona smiling on his shoulder. "Kurogane-san! Moko-chan! So everyone's alright. That's a relief…"

Sakura didn't notice the other people by the door until the brown-haired man snickered while the white-haired one whistled. "Get a room, you two!"

Francis and Arthur were behind her before she even noticed them approach. She heard Francis say, "Ah, l'amour…"

Eh? She felt a light squeeze on her hands and Mokona exclaimed, "Holding hands! Just like a couple!"

Sakura blushed. She was still holding Syaoran-kun's hands! Immediately, they let go at once, both apologizing to each other. "I-I'm sorry! I was just…"

"No, no! That was, um…"

At that, the blonde one with glasses began to laugh, followed by Fai. The white-haired one continued to whistle at them while the brown-haired man cooed about them being cute to another brown-haired person with a curl on his hair floating to a side. Kurogane just snorted.

Finally, Arthur sighed. "Everyone, just get in. And don't forget to wipe your shoes."

~oOoOoOo~

"And that's how I saved the day!"

Syaoran watched on his side of the couch as Arthur forced his rescuer, Alfred Jones-san, to sit back down after he jumped up from his side of the couch to show a balled fist and used the coffee table as support with Mokona pointing up to the ceiling on his shoulder. His other guests were almost as lively: Antonio was hugging Romano, who was jabbing him by the elbow. Gilbert and Francis were surrounding Sakura with questions, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. Fai just laughed at the scene from the back while Kurogane crossed his arms at them.

He and the others have been telling Arthur of what happened ever since they left his house in search of the feather. Gilbert-san and Alfred-san seem to have versions of their own but they weren't too far off. He smiled faintly as Sakura's feather lay secure in between his hands.

The boy, Peter-kun, was still in the restroom to wash up. Arthur told the both of them to clean themselves before they could catch a cold. Syaoran wiped his still wet hair with his towel when Arthur came up to him and said, "Go and return Sakura her feather quickly before these idiots get any worse."

Syaoran nodded at his scowling face and went to Sakura who was saying how cute Gilbert's chick was as the bird chirped on his head. Gilbert-san looked like he didn't even notice the yellow bird until then. "Sakura-hime," he muttered, catching their attention. "Would you come with me for a moment?"

Sakura nodded with a smile and readily followed him. As they left the room, he didn't know what to think when Francis whistled at them with Gilbert calling out to them, "Go for it!"

Walking up the stairs to Arthur's bedroom, Syaoran asked, "How are you feeling, Sakura-hime? Do you feel tired?"

Beside him, Sakura shook her head. "Arthur-san and Francis-san kept me company the whole time, too. They're both very nice; Gilbert-san, Antonio-san, Romano-san and Alfred-san as well."

As he opened the door to Arthur's room, Syaoran smiled. "That's good."

Once inside, he didn't expect her smile to fade into a frown. Her brows furrowed as she looked at the feather in his hands and asked, "You didn't have any trouble while retrieving the feather for me, did you?"

Encouraging a smile, he shook his head. "No trouble at all."

With that, she finally returned the smile. "That's good."

Syaoran let the feather go and watched it float towards Sakura until it merged with her, her body absorbing it. Her eyes glazed for a moment until finally closing and Syaoran easily caught her as she fell asleep in his arms. He made short work of laying her on Arthur's bed (he hoped Arthur-san didn't mind) and he smiled at her peaceful face.

He sat on one side of the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping princess. He wondered what kind of memory she had regained this time… and shook his head to let the thought go. He frowned. Even if they retrieved all the feathers, Sakura still wouldn't remember him. His brows furrowed, his chest tightening as if in pain. Whatever may happen, even though she won't ever remember him, he will continue to search for her feathers. Sakura was his most important person, after all.

Syaoran remained silent, looking at Sakura's serene expression all the while, when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and found Peter looking back at him, wearing a new set of those sailor clothes. He smiled at the boy as he stepped out of the way. "Would like to come inside?"

The boy didn't look at him in the eye as he nodded and walked into the room. As Syaoran closed the door behind him, Peter stared at the sleeping Sakura. He finally looked away to ask Syaoran, "Is she the one who needs the feather?"

Syaoran nodded, "That's right."

Peter looked back at the girl sleeping in Arthur's bed and he saw the boy bite his lower lip. "Is she… is she okay now?"

"There are still more feathers to be found but she'll be fine, don't worry." Syaoran will make sure of it.

At that, the boy sighed quietly. "That's a relief."

Syaoran smiled at him. So he really was worried about her, as well. "Peter-kun," he called for the boy, who looked back at him curiously. "Would you mind looking after Sakura-hime for me until I come back? I won't be long."

The boy nodded at him firmly and he looked back at the sleeping Sakura as if in silent promise. Syaoran thanked him before walking out of the bedroom.

Now that they managed to retrieve Sakura-hime's feather in this world, they should better get going onto the next world. He didn't mind Arthur-san's company (in fact, he enjoyed everyone's company in this world too) but he didn't know how much time they have left to save Sakura-hime. They only got back a few feathers so far, and he knew they were still far from getting all of them back.

So that meant they would have to say goodbye to Arthur-san and this world. Or until Mokona sends them back here on some coincidence. Or hitsuzen.

When Syaoran returned to the room where he left Arthur and the others, he gaped at the scenic chaos before him.

Fai was going all over the place, offering them drinks, which looked suspiciously like liquor. Gilbert and Mokona were having an argument over who was more awesome. Alfred was whining to Arthur where a thing called TV was and his host snapped that no, he wasn't allowed to watch any more DVDs on his telly after he made a mess of his collections last week. Kurogane seemed the only still one, drinking his bottle of liquor in peace, until he had to curse away at Gilbert running around with Mokona and the yellow chick on his head and almost making him spill his sake.

Syaoran definitely didn't look any further at the couch as it was occupied by a slurring Antonio on top of a flushed Romano.

There were also many empty bottles all over the room.

Syaoran felt someone tap him on the shoulder from behind and found a big man with a scarf offer him a bottle. "Would you like some vodka?" It was the same man from the restaurant earlier!

He was about to refuse when Arthur exclaimed, "Rus—Ivan?!" The man with the scarf, Ivan-san, looked at Arthur and just smiled at him.

As Syaoran stared in horror at the more unsettling development (Fai-san just forced Arthur-san to drink liquor from the bottle!), Gilbert suddenly hit him on the head with his own bottle of liquor, knocking him face-first onto the floor.

Before the world slipped into darkness, Syaoran faintly witnessed Alfred roundhouse kicking the almost naked Francis away, who only wore a rose, and thought that Arthur-san's friends were admittedly eccentric.

* * *

**A/N: ****Please, please, please! don't drink alcohol until you're of legal age! **Or at least, have someone older with you so you could share the blame, if any ;)

It's finally up! Internet was out for so long, I didn't know when I'd be able to let these twin stories continue D: And since I don't know for how long this online connection would last, I'll be uploading the last chapter later today as well.

As always, your appreciation to these twin stories are so luv'd!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations**

* * *

It was morning when Sakura woke up next. She rubbed her eyes to wipe away the sleep for a moment. Slowly, she tried to sit up from the bed and found a boy sleeping on the side of the bed. He looked like had been watching over her the whole night until he dozed off at one point. She smiled at the thought. She looked around the room for Syaoran but was nowhere to be found.

Carefully, Sakura helped the boy up the bed to rest properly before going down the stairs and go back to the room where she first woke up in. Maybe Syaoran-kun and the others were already awake and having breakfast. She hurried over and entered the room, ready to apologize for sleeping in again. She gasped instead at the current state of the room.

Alfred was lying on the coffee table on his back, his limbs already falling out of the small table. Gilbert was drooling on the floor with Mokona sound asleep in his arms beside Gilbert's chick, Gilbird-chan. Sakura was about to look at the rather occupied couch when a hand patted her shoulder and a familiar voice from behind greeted, "Good morning, Sakura-chan."

She turned and exclaimed, "Fai-san!" But Fai motioned for her to be quiet as he pointed at something from behind her. She looked back and saw Kurogane pulling over a blanket over the snoring pile that was Arthur and Francis. She wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not when she thought she saw Francis-san not wearing anything but a rose (she hoped so).

Then, a feeble voice came not too far from the door. "S-Sakura-hime…"

Sakura turned to the source of the voice and found Syaoran trying to sit up from where he lied on the floor. Immediately, she came over to his side and helped him up, asking with concern, "Are you alright, Syaoran-kun? What happened?" It looked like some strange spell went around the room and knocked the people inside unconscious.

Syaoran held his head as if in pain as he replied, "I don't know. Gilbert-san hit me on the head and I was knocked out. Everyone else was…" He looked around the room and Sakura saw his face grow pale.

She wanted him to continue but Kurogane finished his statement, growling, "They all drank too much!"

Eh? She blinked and finally noticed the many empty bottles scattered all over the floor. There was also a strange smell hanging around the room; it was rather strong on her nose when she tried a sniff.

Beside her, Syaoran blinked. "Where did the man with the scarf go to?" She looked at him curiously. Another guest came? Probably when she was asleep.

"Oh, you mean Ivan-san," Fai smiled at them. "He woke up about the same time as Kuro-chû did. He left already and stuck a note on Alfred-san's forehead for us."

"What did the note say?" Syaoran asked, still rubbing his head.

Fai fumbled with his pocket and took out a small piece of paper. He looked at it for a second then smiled, "I can't read it."

He showed it to Syaoran instead, who blinked at it. Sakura peered to look at the note too but couldn't read it either. "What does it say?"

Syaoran narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then stated, "_Take some rassol for the hangover_" He wasn't too sure but the shape beside Ivan-san's signature looked suspiciously like a heart…

"Ah!" Fai thumped a fist onto his palm in realization. "That's an effective hangover remedy! Healthy, too." He smiled at the confused youths as he only continued, "I'll go prepare the _rassol_ and maybe even start getting breakfast ready. Syaoran-kun, can you try to find some aspirin in the washroom? Ivan-san said it'll help the others once they wake up."

"Then I'll help Syaoran-kun—" Sakura started but paused when there was a knock on the front door. The three looked at each other. Who could be visiting Arthur's house at this time?

Fai smiled at Sakura and asked, "Is it alright with you if you see to Arthur-san's guest? Arthur-san is still asleep and can't answer the door right now. And of all of us awake, you can make them feel very welcome."

Sakura still wasn't sure and glanced at Syaoran who just smiled at her. He still looked very tired. "We'll be right here if you need us."

At his words, she finally nodded. "Alright then."

With that, the three went off to do their tasks with Sakura left to open the door and find a blonde teenager with a cute white bear on his arms. He actually resembled Alfred-san in a way, though he seemed more laid-back than the former. "Yes?" she muttered to get his attention.

The teenager jerked, almost letting go of the white bear in his shock. He stared wide-eyed at her as if in fear. Was she that scary? She encouraged a smile and he seemed to have calmed down a bit. Then, he muttered, "W-Who are you…?"

Sakura smiled at him as she introduced, "My name is Sakura, one of Arthur-san's guests." Then, she frowned at his still frightened face. "Oh, sorry," she apologized. "You must have been expecting Arthur-san, right? Fai-san said he was still sleeping, so he couldn't answer the door. I hope I didn't scare you too much."

"N-No!" the teenager stuttered louder. "I-I'm sorry for barging in like this. Arthur must be busy, so I'll just…"

Sakura frowned as he turned to leave (he seemed very nice too) when they heard a loud scream coming from inside the house. It was Arthur's voice. Like he'd been scared the life out of him. Has something happened? In the short time that she'd been with him, Arthur-san never looked like the kind of person to be that easily scared.

"Arthur-san!" she cried as she looked down the hallway. She saw Syaoran zip across the hallway and towards the scream. Sakura looked at the equally shaken teenager and tried, "Um, well, please make yourself at home." She was still glancing nervously at the far end of the hallway when she stepped aside to make way for him to enter.

Should she check it out and see if she could help? Then again, she still needed to take care of Arthur-san's guest for him. Oh, what should she do? When the teenager finally stepped inside, she decided to check on Arthur-san and lead the confused teenager to where Arthur-san was. Quickly, she motioned for him to follow her as she made a run for the room. As they went towards the room, she heard Arthur-san's voice turn angry. What was happening?

When the two finally reached the room, Sakura covered her gasp.

Arthur-san was finally awake, though he wasn't at all happy. He was pointing and yelling at a pale Francis, shouting of how in the world the naked man managed to doze off on top of him. The stray blanket covered most of said naked man, though he didn't look too good. Syaoran tried to calm their host down but the irate man couldn't be stopped, and continued to shout about the other's obscenities.

Sakura went to Francis-san, helping him cover himself with the blanket. "Are you alright?" she asked in concern. However, she only got a groan out of him and didn't understand what that meant.

Maybe he was sleepy? But then, the floor didn't look like a comfortable place in to sleep in so Sakura began to jostle him awake, saying, "Francis-san, Francis-san! Please don't sleep on the floor. At least, move to a chair or…" She later noticed that Francis's face looked paler than before and began to fret. She looked at Syaoran but found him still busy with poor Arthur-san who needed a glass of water.

Then, she heard Kurogane hiss, "At least, _what?_" He looked intently at the laughing Fai-san who seemed to have been talking to the newest guest just then, and a chain of reactions began.

Mokona suddenly woke up from where it was lying on Gilbert and exclaimed, "Fai-san and Kurogane-san are such good friends!" The outburst awoke the sleepy Alfred who suddenly lost balance and fell off the coffee table and on top of the snoozing Gilbert, who cursed outright at the wake-up call, with poor Gilbird-chan barely flying out on time. The little bird later landed on the sleeping Romano's face, who cried out strange words too fast for her to understand, while Antonio sleeping beside him mumbled something and just hugged the loud one closer.

And poor Arthur-san was still yelling at the pale Francis for traumatizing everyone with his all-skin attire.

Sakura was about to ask Francis if he needed anything when she heard Fai say to the new guest, "Breakfast sounds good right about now, huh? Why don't you help me make some?"

~oOoOoOo~

Syaoran was leaning on the wall near the door to Arthur-san's room when he spotted Fai come up the stairs. He stood back up straight when the taller one walked towards him and asked, "Is everyone ready?"

He shook his head, hugging his cloak closer on his arms, as he glanced at the still closed door. "Sakura-hime won't be long."

They were finally going to head off to the next world. They all switched back into wearing their original clothes for the journey and when Syaoran wore his own clothes, he felt ready to move on.

He, Fai and Kurogane already decided not to say farewell that time. Arthur-san and the other guests didn't look at all that well (they had to help each of them into where Fai laid out their breakfast and they were still on the table when they left) and he thought that they would feel worse if they said their goodbyes then and there.

Syaoran turned to the stairs when Kurogane went up as well to ask, "What's with the holdup?" Mokona was perched on his shoulder and smiled patiently.

The boy was about to reply when the door opened and Sakura walked out of the room wearing her original clothes but also holding onto the clothes that she received from Arthur. Syaoran looked from the clothes in her arms to the princess and muttered, "Sakura-hime…?"

She held on to the clothes closer as she explained, "Arthur-san went into the trouble of buying me these clothes and I thought it might make him sad if I just left them here… Is it alright with you, Syaoran-kun?"

Sakura looked at Syaoran, waiting for his answer, until he smiled at her. "It's fine."

She smiled and, turning to Mokona, asked, holding out the clothes, "Is it alright, Moko-chan?"

The white creature patted one paw on itself, huffing with a smirk, "Just leave it to Mokona!" With that, it opened its mouth and easily sucked up the clothes in Sakura's hands. As it closed its mouth in accomplishment, Sakura smiled in delight.

"Thank you, Moko-chan!" she said with a cheerful smile. Syaoran smiled as Mokona giggled from where it perched on Kurogane's shoulder.

The ninja closed his eyes for a moment and said, "We'd better get moving." His other companions nodded at him and they quietly made their way to the porch where they first arrived in the new world.

When Syaoran opened the door, he paused for a moment as he recognized Arthur sitting on a chair to look out into the rain. He glanced at Sakura and the others before making his way out into the porch. Arthur didn't bother looking back at them as he took a moment to sip at his tea, and for a while, nobody said anything. Syaoran waited patiently until Arthur asked them, "So you're going, then?"

"Yes," Syaoran nodded. It may not have been very long (they only arrived yesterday after all), but he knew that he, Sakura-hime, Fai-san and even Kurogane-san would miss Arthur-san and the others' company. Really, every person that they met in every world had been different and this world was no exception. But just as what Kurogane-san told him, because he had something he must do, he needed to look forward.

Finally, Arthur turned and tried with a smile, "Care to stay a bit longer for a cup of tea, at least?"

Shaking his head, Syaoran replied, "Thank you for the offer, Arthur-san, but we really need to get going. There are still more feathers to be had in other worlds." Beside him, Sakura nodded with an encouraging smile.

Slowly but surely, Arthur returned the smile. He stood up and offered Syaoran a hand, saying, "Well then, Syaoran, it was a pleasure meeting you and everyone else."

He smiled and took the other's hand, shaking it firmly. "Thank you, Arthur-san, for letting us stay in your house. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you."

"Oh, no. No trouble at all," he said with a lopsided smile. As they let go of each other's hand, he continued, "So then, how do you plan on heading off to the next world? As I recall, you seemed to have fallen from the sky."

At that, Syaoran, Sakura and Fai smiled at once. Kurogane stared at the beaming Mokona on his shoulder. Syaoran looked at the white creature as well and muttered, "Mokona?"

Said creature nodded cheerfully and began to glow, much to their host's surprise. The others watched patiently at the familiar scene while Arthur gaped as Mokona floated up into the raining sky. "M-Mokona?" Sakura smiled at his reaction. She really was going to miss Arthur-san.

As beams of light began to emanate from its body, Mokona exclaimed, "Mokona Modoki can't wait to move! Let's goooooo~!!!" With that, it shifted in midair and out sprouted wings from its back. A magic circle formed soon after and the beams of light began to tangle themselves around Syaoran and the rest.

Syaoran and Sakura smiled at him even as the multicolored light continued to envelop the group of travelers. "If we come back to this country, we'll come and visit!" Syaoran called out to Arthur. "Definitely!"

"Thank you for taking care of me, Arthur-san!" Sakura told him with bright eyes. "Please thank Francis-san for me as well!"

Arthur managed to wave at them weakly and nodded. "I will."

Syaoran, Sakura and Fai smiled their farewell to him with Kurogane nodding at him in acknowledgement. Syaoran then noticed a wide-eyed Alfred by the door and nodded at him. He hoped their departure wouldn't surprise him too much.

As the whole group disappeared into a ball of colorful light, they found themselves in the familiar wormhole in between the many dimensions, waiting to arrive at their next destination.

~oOo~

* * *

**A/N: **Oh, it's finally done :")

Thank you! Merci! Gracias! Danke! Grazie! Спасибо! for all those who stayed with the twin stories to the end! I may not have replied on all the comments but I have read them all and appreciate every last one of them ^^

I am thinking of a sequel-that-isn't-because-it-happened-at-the-same-time kind of thing (and it'll be another twin stories too), but I'm not making any promises as of now. The plots are still hanging out with the clouds. Still, that other Mokona would live in the same dimension...

Lastly, the online article where I found the used hangover remedies (thanks to Suite101) literally wrote "From Russia with Love" ;D


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